11th Annual Innovation Institute

Debra holds a BS/BA from Syracuse University in Inclusive Elementary & Special Education and Art History, an MS in Educational Leadership, a JD from Nova Southeastern University, and a MicroMasters in Design Thinking from RIT. Her passion for integration began at Disney Education, where she won a Mousecarit Award for her work in Educational Programming at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Debra’s career began teaching in a one-room schoolhouse that traveled with a carnival, sparking her research in migrant education and earning her an Equal Justice Works Fellowship in Education Law. When she transitioned back to the classroom she became a strong advocate for tech in the classroom, winning awards from BrainPop for using its "Make-A-Movie" tool in pedagogy and guiding students to top honors in competitions like the Wonder Workshop Design Attachment and Scholastic/Mastercard Tech4Innovation Challenge.

A champion of student exploration and technology, Debra has designed Computer Science labs for elementary students, coached competitive robotics teams, and authored the chapter “Augmented Reality and Social Emotional Programming” in Augmented Reality at School. She has written for Edutopia and serves as a Master Teacher of Invention & Intellectual Property Educator (MTIP) with the U.S. Patent Office. Previously, she held leadership roles on the Florida CSTA Board and organized South Florida Scratch events.